Four Gophers Score in Double Figures in 61-44 Defeat over Oregon

Isaac Asuma had 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists and Grayson Grove had career-highs of 13 points and eight rebounds, as Minnesota (12-14, 5-10) snapped a two-game skid with a 61-44 rout of Oregon (9-17, 2-13) at Matthew Knight Arena.

The Gophers led by five at the half despite shooting 30 percent, but the second half was a different story, as they made 13-of-25 (.520) field goals, including 6-of-15 (.400) three-pointers, and 7-of-8 at the line to pull away from the Ducks. Oregon led 30-29 with 13:24 remaining, but Minnesota went on a 10-2 run and never looked back. The Gophers, playing without injured starter Jaylen Crocker-Johnson for the second game in a row, built a 19-point lead with a 12-0 run in the final four minutes, securing a win against Oregon for the second year in a row.

Asuma made 6-of-14 field goals, including three from three-point range, to finish in double-figures for the sixth-straight game. Grove, starting his second-straight game in place of Crocker-Johnson, carried the Gophers in the second half by scoring 12 of his 13 points. Grove was 5-of-5 from the field and made a career-high 2-of-2 three-pointers after the break, and he tied his career high with four assists in the game and added three steals.

Cade Tyson finished with 12 points and tied Grove with eight rebounds, Bobby Durkin had 11 points and five rebounds, Langston Reynolds had eight points ad four boards, and Kai Shinholster added two points on a key second-half dunk, while adding three rebounds and a pair of steals. For the game, Minnesota made 22-of-55 (.400) field goals, including 9-of-29 (.310) from long-range, and 8-of-10 free throws, while holding a 38-28 rebounding advantage.

Oregon was led by Nate Bittle with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Kwame Evans Jr. had 13 points and nine boards, Dez Lindsay had eight points, and Sean Stewart finished with six points. Minnesota's defense stifled the Ducks, who made 20-of-53 (.377) field goals, but just 2-of-20 (.100) three-pointers, and 2-of-2 free throws.

Asuma scored the first five points for the Gophers, who jumped ahead 5-2. A dunk by Reynolds and a 16-foot jumper by Durkin stretched the early lead to 9-4 with 15:05 left, but Bittle highlighted a 5-0 Oregon run with the Ducks' first three-pointer in six attempts to tie the score at the second media timeout. Grove ended a scoring drought of more than four minutes by making 1-of-2 at the line, giving the Gophers a one-point lead with 10:53 remaining.

The Ducks grabbed an 11-10 lead, but Reynolds drove for a layup with 7:30 left to give Minnesota its first field goal since the 15:05 mark. Tyson scored his first points of the game to put the Gophers up 14-11, and an Asuma floater from just outside the lane made it 16-13. The Gophers extended the lead to 22-13 with 4:03 remaining on three-pointers from Asuma and Tyson, making it an 8-0 Gophers run. Oregon cut into the lead with a 4-0 run to close the half, sending the Gophers to the locker room with a 22-17 lead.

Asuma led Minnesota with 10 first-half points, while Tyson had five points and five rebounds, and Reynolds added four points and three boards. The Gophers made 9-of-30 (.300) field goals, including 3-of-14 (.214) from three-point range, and 1-of-2 free throws, while outrebounding the Ducks, 21-16.

Bittle led Oregon with seven points, Stewart and Lindsay had four points, and Evans grabbed seven rebounds. The Ducks made 7-of-23 (.304) field goals, including just 1-of-12 (.083) three-pointers, and 2-of-2 free throws. Oregon had eight first-half turnovers, to seven for the Gophers, but Minnesota had a 9-2 advantage in points off Tos.

Grove opened the second half for the Gophers with a three-pointer, his fourth of the season, and Tyson threw down a dunk on a cut through the lane for an early 27-19 lead. Grove added a layup for a 29-21 lead, and the Gophers led by six at the first media timeout with 15:51 remaining. The Ducks made it a 9-0 run with a three-pointer by Evans to retake the lead, 30-29, and Niko Medved called timeout with 13:12 remaining. Grove ended a four-minute, 31-second scoring drought with a two-handed dunk to put the Gophers back in the lead, and Asuma added a layup and Durkin drained a deep three for a 7-0 run and a 36-30 lead, forcing Oregon coach Dana Altman to call timeout with 11:41 left.

Tyson went 1-of-2 at the line and Shinholster threw down a one-handed dunk to extend the run to 10-2 and put the Gophers up 39-32 with 10:24 left. The Ducks countered with back-to-back dunks to pull within three, but Durkin made his second trey of the game for a 42-36 lead with 7:52 left. Tyson made a pair at the line to reach double-figures for the 25th time this season, putting the Gophers up by eight, and Asuma's third three-pointer of the night made it 47-38 with 5:18 remaining. Minnesota took its first double-digit lead, as Durkin made his third trifecta of the game and Reynolds drove for a layup for a 54-42 lead with 3:21 remaining.

Reynolds and Tyson each added a pair of free throws, and Grove banked in his second three-pointer of the game, making it a 12-0 run and a 61-42 lead with 1:29 left, and the Gophers earned their second road win of the season.

Minnesota returns home to play host to Rutgers on Saturday, Feb. 21. Tipoff at Williams Arena is set for 11:00 a.m. CST, and the game will be televised on Big Ten Network.

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Team Stats

Isaac Asuma

Grayson Grove

Cade Tyson

Bobby Durkin

Players Mentioned

Isaac Asuma

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson

Bobby Durkin

Grayson Grove

Langston Reynolds

Kai Shinholster

Cade Tyson